[soliloquy id=”7119″]
Turistas shows us one very good reason not to want to go backpacking like a local. If you’re a tourist you should take the plane and never the bus. Always.
We meet a group of twenty-something tourists on a speeding bus in the back roads of Brazil. Onboard amongst a number of locals are American siblings Alex (Josh Duhamel- Transformers), and Bea (Olivia Wilde- In Time), who are traveling with Bea’s friend Amy (Beau Garrett- Fantastic 4). Brit tourists Liam (Max Brown- Beauty and the Beast), Finn (Desond Askew- The Hills Have Eyes) and solo Australian backpacker Pru (Melissa George- Triangle, 30 Days of Night) are also in for the ride.
The Brazilian driver of the bus swerves recklessly around the cliff drop roads, taking one corner a little too sharply which makes the bus teeter dangerously over the edge. Everyone aboard has just enough time to jump out before it slips and spins down the mountain. Rather than wait 10 hours for the next bus the backpacking group take a short trek through the jungle and discover a beautiful tropical beach, complete with a rocking bar, great vibe and friendly local Kiko.
Not wanting to leave the fun and laughter, the party continues into the night, but slowly, one by one the group succumbs to a drug secretly placed in their drinks. The next morning they wake up to find themselves stranded and robbed of all their belongings.
With nowhere to turn, they scour the roads pleading for help and bump into Kiko who says he will take them to his uncle’s house. As they start the trek, anxiety begins to hit as getting there requires walking barefoot through rugged terrain for miles. Unfortunately for the group, once they do reach the house, not all make it out alive.
In theory Turistas has a great plot, brilliant idea and a wonderful setting with a disturbing story, but when the action kicks in, most of it takes place in the dark and you can’t even see what’s going on. And although not as gruesome as I’d have liked, Turistas has some parts that may have you wincing. And questioning that backpacking trip. Give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen?
WICKED RATING: 5/10 [usr 5]
Title: Turistas
Director(s): John Stockwell
Writer(s): Micahel Ross
Stars: Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde
Year: 2006
Studio/ Production Co: Fox Atomic, 2929 Productions, Stone Village Pictures
Budget: $10,000,000 (estimated)
Language: English
Length: 93mins
Sub-Genre: Mystery, Thriller
